think/feel/change is a strategic consultancy that helps funders and social impact organizations get clearer on the change they’re here to make.

It's run by me, Patrin Watanatada. I work with mission-driven people and teams—especially in philanthropy, nonprofits, and creative fields—who want to:
— Put structure around messy questions
— Get clear on what they’re really trying to do
— Move forward with care and intention, towards a just and thriving world.

What led me here

Children and adults playing in a natural pool under tall trees and dappled shade in a tropical forest in Khao Yai, Thailand.
Working on the Van Leer Foundation's Urban95 initiative taught me about the power of public space. Here's a wonderful rural public space: a natural forest pool attracting families and friends from far and wide in Khao Yai, Thailand, 2025.

I’ve always wanted to do good in the world. As a kid, I planned to become a pediatrician—until I realized, late in high school, that I liked sleep a bit too much to make it through medical training. After a year (and many late nights) as editor-in-chief of our school paper, I started to think that shaping and communicating ideas might be my part to play.

That instinct led me into two decades of turning ideas into strategy, learning, communication, and action—across issues from early childhood to air pollution, from urban health to corporate responsibility.

A mix of cultures and places shapes how I work. I’m Thai American with a dash of British. I grew up outside Washington, DC, now live in rural northern England, and return regularly to Bangkok. It's given me a powerful respect for context and community, and a deeply felt awareness of the lottery of birth.

Working independently lets me bring a fresh cross-organizational perspective, stay close to what I do best, and live in a way that works for my family. I feel really lucky to do this work.

When I’m not working or with family and friends, I’m running (slowly), singing (if only to myself), or reading (and sometimes writing) about how change happens.

Learning from how change happens across issues, sectors, perspectives

Audience at a side session at the C40 Mayors' Summit in Copenhagen in 2019, seated in a wooden-beamed hall, listening intently. A man stands near the front holding a baby, adding warmth and everyday life to the scene.
Bridging urban design, clean air, and early childhood, at the C40 Mayors' Summit in Copenhagen in 2019. Co-curated with the Van Leer Foundation, Gehl, Google, and Clean Air Fund. Our audience represented cities, corporations, NGOs, funders... and babyhood.

Before starting think/feel/change, I worked on a wide range of issues, with organizations in different sectors and geographies, in roles from junior analyst to board chair, and learning from from brilliant colleagues all along the way:

— founder + director, think/feel/change. See Recent Work for work examples.
— advisory council member and past board chair at think tank Capita; trustee at community climate action nonprofit Futureproof Cumbria
— set up and led the knowledge for policy team at early childhood-focused Van Leer Foundation; headed the London team at sustainable business think tank and advisory firm SustainAbility
— earlier strategic and analytical roles at social change communications agency Fenton, financial services consulting firm Oliver Wyman, and Thai biomass power start-up A.T. Biopower.

Let’s chat

If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear what you’re working on — whether you’re looking for a thought partner, a collaborator, or someone to exchange ideas with. Do get in touch: patrin(at)thinkfeelchange(dot)org

Woman in tie-dye t-shirt with Anti Racist Cumbria slogan, standing in a trail above a blue lake amidst green bracken.
On a journey, literally and figuratively, with the amazing Anti Racist Cumbria. Ullswater Way, Lake District, UK, 2024. Photo by Katy Murray.